US Steel Import Tariffs

Lord Hunt of Wirral Excerpts

Thursday 13th February 2025 Lords Chamber

[Lord Hunt of Wirral (Con)]

My Lords, can the Minister confirm what conversations Ministers have had with their counterparts in the US about steel tariffs? How many times have Ministers spoken with US trade representatives since last Sunday, for instance? In particular, can she confirm that the first 500,000 tonnes of steel to the US will be tariff-free as they were under President Trump’s previous Administration? And finally, can she bring us up to date on the Government’s efforts to obtain a free trade agreement with the United States?

[The Minister of State, Department for Business and Trade and Treasury (Baroness Gustafsson) (Lab)]

I thank the noble Lord for his question. I think we all agree that the US is an indispensable ally in many areas. As he may have seen, President Trump has said he has had a couple of good, constructive calls with Keir Starmer and the two enjoy a good relationship. The Prime Minister has said that he would like to work with the US to develop a trade deal, and we are keen to work with the Trump Administration to capitalise on opportunities and deepen and strengthen our relationship.

With regard to the specifics around what will happen within the steel sector, there is a lot of hypothesis and noise at the moment, but there are currently no established facts about what that will look like. The Government will make any key decisions in light of those key facts as and when they emerge, and we will not be drawn into a hypothetical conversation.

With regard to a free trade agreement, we have talked about the fact that the US is such a valuable ally, and we would love to be able to deepen those trading relationships. That said, 18% of our trade today already happens with the US. Any free trade agreement set in place would need to best represent UK interests.

Wales: Public Services

Lord Hunt of Wirral Excerpts

Tuesday 5th November 2024 Lords Chamber

[Lord Livermore (Lab)]

The noble Lord is quite right that growth was one of the biggest failures of the previous Government over the past 14 years. It is absolutely our priority to do something about that. Obviously, one Budget cannot turn around 14 years, but we have already seen its measures increasing growth throughout the United Kingdom in the medium term.

[Lord Hunt of Wirral (Con)]

Will the Minister answer the question, please? There is an urgent need for infra- structure investment in Wales. What meetings does the Minister propose to have with his Labour counterparts in Wales, to ensure that key projects—such as the third Menai bridge to Ynys Môn, and the Newport bypass—go ahead as quickly as possible?

[Lord Livermore (Lab)]

I am not sure what question the noble Lord thinks I have not answered. He asked me specifically about investment projects. Of course, under his Government, we were the only country in the G7 to have investment levels below 20% of GDP. We have introduced planning reforms, which the previous Government could have introduced at any point in the past 14 years but did not. We are doing more on investment in a few months than the previous Government did in 14 years.